Add a New Log

Add a New Character Page

Revelations

Xanadu Weyr - Weyrsecond and Junior Weyrwomans' OfficeOffice or study? Perhaps this room is a little of both. It is spacious and airy with the big windows opposite the door looking northwards, a perfect aspect when one is this far south. Those windows are framed by dark forest green drapes, soft ribbons and braid in dark, rich gold sewn along the edges to give them a sumptuous look.The back wall is covered by shelves that hold a variety of things - mostly records and reference material as well as writing tools and sheets of hide and paper. Tapestries, including several lovely scenes of the terrain around Xanadu Weyr, cover the rest of the wall-space while a soft, plain off-white rug hides the stone floor. A small, low table sits by the door and usually has some refreshment set out on it.Several broad desks are arranged around the room, each one set so someone sitting at it doesn't look directly at any of the others. Small screens can be set up on each desk to give a little more privacy and each has one comfortable chair that goes with it. There are also several other chairs, which can be used by visitors.

With the office to herself, Meion has slowly taken over the space - first there was the computer tucked into the corner, where she could work with nobody peering over her shoulder. Then it was a desk tugged over next to it, so she could spread out more of her papers and notes. And by now, it's grown to a pile of papers strewn across two desks, in some sort of filing scheme that only Meion understands - assuming even she understands it. But she said she had something to discuss, and it was best done in private.

And here comes Risali, heeding the call of important matters to be discussed in private, looking, for all the world, as if sleep has evaded her for the last sevenday when she strides through the door into that office and… blinks for stacks of paper. "Do you have enough room?" Risali asks, a hint of exhaustion in her tone — though not nearly enough to drown out hints of humor. "I can pull another table over." And they can make a fort! One that consists of desks, and important papers, and everything good and responsible and therefore a nice shield to hide them from people seeking to introduce even more papers.

Meion takes the question seriously - possibly because between sleep and candidate training and trying to sneak away here to get work done, she's almost worn out her ability to remember what jokes are. "I think I've got enough." A beat, as she realizes that maybe there was a bit of humor in that. "But if you have an extra room or three, I have more papers…" She grins back, and holds up one of those bottles of cold klah she's so often carrying. "Did you want some of this? You look like maybe you need it more than me." And, judging from the cup on the desk near her, she's already got some of her own anyhow.

To be fair, the question was half serious. Still, Risali smiles crooked at Meion for her reply and offers, "We can just put them on D'lei's desk. And on his chair. And anywhere he deigns to exist, really." That half smile grows into something a little more mischievous, and then softens as grey eyes drop to proffered caffeine and Risali hesitates only a moment before reaching out to accept. "Faranth, yes. I am pretty sure we should just replace all Klan with Meimei's Special Brew." But then Risali is pulling over an abandoned chair and sitting. "I can't tell if these stacks bode well or not. Have you been taking care of yourself?" Because YES SHE IS looking meaningfully at that cup before focusing back on the computercrafter.

There's a clean mug somewhere on the desk, and Meion takes a moment or two to find it - and then she fills it and passes it over to Risali, settling in the chair nearest her. "I've been sleeping, and eating, and mostly even as much as I should." There's a little laugh at that; she's well-aware that she doesn't always give her body the support it needs. "But when I've had time, I've still been working on the problem you and D'lei asked me to look into." She sits back a little, takes a sip of her klah, and gives Risali a moment to have some of her own before going on. "I've definitely found something, but I'm not exactly sure what."

Risali pulls that cup closer, cradling it near her lips even as eyes peer over the rim at Meion and she smiles. "It's a start, at least." Because 'mostly' is better than 'not at all' or 'sometimes'. A beat, as Risali whispers a soft (and perhaps guilt ridden), "Thank you," and Risali buries all of her awkwardness, for just one moment, in that cup of Klah. Her gaze drops, her attention seems to shift inward for the duration of that pause, and an owlish blink brings her back to the present. "Pardon?" Listen, she is tired, and while Risali didn't doubt Meion's ability to achieve the implausible, she certainly doubted (or perhaps, more accurately, hoped) that the outcome would be, 'Just some errant weather.' But Risali is pushing her cup into her lap and shifting forward, eyes on papers and then on Mei with a little bit more alert intent. "What's the pattern saying?" WHAT DO YOUR ELF EYES SEE? Because Risali is really bad with words, and it's the only way her tired brain can think to ask.

Meion takes another sip of the klah, and turns the screen of the computer toward the weyrwoman. "So, I spent some time in the archives, and I got data for the last thirty turns." A quick flurry of tapping at the keys, and a chart appears, with little symbols on it. "A lot of this isn't important - what you should look at here is this. Across the bottom here, this is each sevenday - from the summer solstice in the middle, to the winter solstice at the ends. And then it loops, so we're charting each turn on top of the others." She indicates spots on the screen as she's explaining, and starts loading the data. "Now, when I loaded the last thirty turns in, they mostly all looked the same." There's a slight rise-and-fall in the graph, repeating each turn. "You can see, winter and spring are a little more dangerous, probably because of weather.." And then she taps something on the keys, and the newly-added line on the graph jumps up. "But this turn is much higher. And when I looked over the last few, it's been rising. If it were the weather, I'd expect to see it have some of the same seasonal variance, but it's mostly just increasing over time, instead." She sits back, leaving that chart on screen. "So… yeah. I think there's something real happening."

As Meion turns the screen towards her and explains what she's looking at, Risali leans forward to see the screen a little better, squinting as though this might better help her determine just what those lines are implicating even as she nods to show Meion that she's following along. It's that next line that has Risali's brows drawing in, the weyrwoman moving a little closer to the screen and delineating the path up as her lips part with a hushed-but-emphatic, "Fuck." Errant Weather indeed, Risali. Those grey eyes jump back to Meion, the goldrider working through the sluggish-slow of her exceptionally-tired brain to find thoughts a bit more conducive and cohesive than the litany of curse words that don't really form proper questions. Or words. Or anything. "… And this is around the time that he showed up. Fuck." Which is not to say that it confirms her suspicions, but it certainly makes those pointing fingers seem a little bit more validated in their accusations. "Have you had a chance to sit down with D'lei and show him this yet?"

"Not yet. You're the first person I've told." Meion looks to the door, as if to check that it's still shut. "But… I think I know what you're talking about, too. And yeah, the timing looks right to me." She frowns a little, takes another sip of her klah. "The next step would probably be to see if I could piece together where it's happening, from sweep records and shipping lanes and all of that. But…" She sort of trails off, looking worried. "I mean, I don't want to just go off and do that. Not unless you think it's a good idea, too. It's… it'll be harder to keep secret. I'd need to talk with some of the sweep riders." Unstated, but heavy on her mind - one way this could be avoiding detection is if one of the sweep riders is in on it.

"Me too," Risali whispers by way of concession, bringing that cup back to her lips because right now she needs it and it gives her a moment to think (and listen) while Meion speaks. When the cup lowers again, Risali's lips are pulling into a frown that echoes Meion's, deeper still for the hint of concern that underlies it. "I can probably pull the records discreetly," because who is going to question the Weyrwoman being in the records room? Especially when she's taking on the bulk of her Junior's work? "But…" A hesitation. "D'lei might have a little more insight into who we can trust in in the wings." One hand comes up, splaying in a helpless gesture as the corner of Risali's lips tug outward in a show of not liking something, but not having the right words. "I don't like it, Meion." It's a hushed admission, a disagreement with putting the computercrafter in harm's way any more than they already have. "But we might not have a choice." A beat, Risali's gaze falters, looking past Meion as if looking to the future or finding answers she can't possibly see in that quiet space. "I think we should see how D'lei feels before we take it any further, since it will become more difficult to deflect why we're asking questions." One, two, three, and Risali's eyes roll toward the ceiling, as if she despises the thought. "We might be able to use Leirith, if we have to." Because queens, and dragons, and those crazy gifts they have.

Meion nods slowly, tapping out a quick command without looking at the keys. The screen clears, back to innocuous blank prompt. "I want to hope it'll turn out to be nothing, but…" That hope is seeming more and more like denial every time she follows up on the data she finds. "There's something going on out there, and I want to help." Even though she's not really fond of this danger thing, and she somewhat prefers the prospect of investigations that don't have an antagonist - particularly not one who she's rather sure she can picture.

"But everything keeps telling us otherwise," Risali interjects to finish, a shake of her head as if she might dislodge that particular unpleasantry before it takes root. NO SUCH LUCK. Grey eyes watch Meion as the woman speaks, and there's a dip of Risali's head in acknowledgement of wanting to help and, perhaps, in that smile, a hint of something like fondness, or pride, or a kindred soul that can understand the drive to help. It's probably why Risali is taking one last (inadvisably deep) sip of her klah and then setting that empty cup back on the desk. It's totally fine if her heart starts having palpitations. Her NORMAL EVERYDAY LIFE INDUCES THEM ANYWAY. "Do you have time? For… for a break I mean." They're at a standstill with this until D'lei can be hunted down anyway.

Meion nods. "I… I really should, yeah. Nothing here won't keep." She takes a quick glance over those papers to make sure they're suitably incomprehensible if anyone wanders in, and then taps out a passcode on the computer, locking it until she returns. "Well. At least now we know something."

Another nod, and Risali will wait. "We do," she agrees, even if it's not the kind of something she wants to know. "And now we'll go flying, to forget." At least for just a second - or to clear their heads, to make room for all those intricate pieces of baffling puzzles that don't fit when there's so much focus on other things. "And then we'll find D'lei." Though maybe not necessarily today. The man is, after all, very busy. Still, Risali will hook her arm through Mei's and walk with her out into the cold, out through the caverns further, and further, and further away until they come upon Leirith. And, if Meion is amicable to it, they will fly. Even if Meion doesn't come, they will fly. They'll fly high, where Leirith will dip in ways that assault the tummy without risking a collision based on her size. But just enough. Enough to draw almost-giddy huffs of laughter from Risali as she squeezes Meion and holds fast to straps. AND EVENTUALLY. Eventually that reckless, daring spirit will be sated, and Leirith will return to the sands while Risali disappears. Perhaps she needs just a little bit more than flight to help her think.